As I mentioned in my previous post, this blog entry is an extension of cost effective travel, focused specifically on our experiences in Southeast Asia. While we aren’t experts on the this area of our world, we are experts on cost and logistics and SE Asia is hands-down the place to get the most bang for your buck when traveling.
Cassia Cottage, Phu Quoc Vietnam
For many Westerners like us, it’s truly difficult to comprehend the low cost of Southeast Asia. Sure, the flight to get over there generally isn’t cheap (or short), but once you arrive, you can literally stay and eat for under $50 a day. That’s food, drink AND lodging. And it isn’t like you are staying in a tiny apartment, with an alley view and your neighbor is blaring his music. We’re talking white sandy beach, towering limestone cliffs, sparkling green water, authentic Thai cuisine and more Singha than you can possibly consume. You can even spend the day pampering elephants, if that’s what you are looking for…
Alright, lets get to the nuts and bolts…or in this case, the dollars and cents. Keep in mind that the flight cost is an estimate and will vary based on your airport and time of year (I have estimated high to prove cost effectiveness). Also, for SE Asia, I’m sticking to the entire country, opposed to specific towns, as I think there is more value at looking at these destinations holistically.
Thailand - ($1100 flights + $650 food/stay +$200 elephant nature park = $1,950/8 days/pp)
Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai Thailand
It doesn’t get any better than Thailand. As I described in detail above, you can literally “have your cake and eat it too” in this unbelievable destination. Who wouldn’t want to walk through the jungle with gentle giants and then fly down for some sunny Thai beach relaxation? And for $1950?! If you want to learn more about this cost estimate and the exact itinerary behind it, check out our Thailand itinerary here for exactly where we stayed and ate (FYI - when calculating the cost for this post, I subbed out Rayavadee luxury resort for a highly rated neighboring hotel called Sand Sea Resort to save big bucks). The only negative that I can think of when visiting any country in SE Asia is the overall travel time (16 - 25 hours). But as we always say…just book the flight!
Cost notes:
Chankam Boutique Hotel, Chiang Mai Thailand
The elephant sanctuary that we visited in Chiang Mai (socially responsible park catering to abused elephants and other animals - check out our vlog here!) is only $200 for a full day adventure; walking, feeding and bathing these gentle giants. The day is called “pamper a pachyderm” and can be booked directly through their site at www.elephantnaturepark.org. We also stayed in Chiang Mai for $70/night in a beautifully decorated Thai accommodation called Chankam Boutique Hotel, right in the heart of the city.
Railay Beach, Krabi Thailand
You can stay on Railay Beach for well under $100/night - close to bars, restaurants and water transport to nearby Phi Phi islands (and Phuket). We routinely ventured down the beach for $5 lunch gyros and a $1 20 oz Singha bottled lager.
Thailand is…
Perfect for: SE Asia cuisine, nightlife, beach vacation, elephant sanctuary, warm weather, low cost
Not perfect for: Short travel time, craft beer, wine, high end dining (outside of Bangkok)
For more info on the details of our stay, visit our exact itinerary here.
Vietnam - ($1,050 flights/shuttles + $525 food/stay +$70 Island tour and cable car = $1,645/8 days/pp)
I don’t think we have been anywhere that has THIS much value. Not only is everything incredibly inexpensive, but Vietnam is also very safe. When you combine safety and cost with the food, culture and beauty, it is truly a must visit destination. While Ho Chi Minh is a bit more expensive (as far as SE Asia goes), the island of Phu Quoc was nothing short of unbelievable. I can vividly remember the day I realized how much money I was saving. I was waiting for Kailah to do some shopping near our hotel, so I sat down at an outdoor restaurant nearby for a beer. It was 85 degrees, palm trees swaying overhead and my bottle of Saigon Red lager was going down smooth. I got up to leave and paid my 11,500 Vietnamese Dong. As I was walking away, I was doing the math in my head and realized that my beer cost 50 cents…at a restaurant!
Cost notes:
Bun Cha Ha Noi, Phu Quoc Vietnam
Long Beach, Phu Quoc Vietnam
There is a Bun Cha restaurant (Called Bun Cha Ha Noi) near where we stayed on Phu Quoc that makes this incredible dish for $2.20 USD. It’s a great value, and I would pay $15 for this meal back in the US because it is so delicious.
We literally ate dinner ON the beach, with our toes in the sand, overlooking the Gulf of Thailand (yes, Vietnam borders the Gulf of Thailand) for under $20 (with several drinks). We sat there, mostly by ourselves, drank fruity drinks out of hollowed out coconuts and devoured Vietnamese cuisine.
In our Vietnam itinerary that we published (link below), it references Cassia Cottage as our Phu Quoc accommodation. For the purpose of this post, I chose one of the other accommodations on Long Beach, as they are much more inexpensive and come highly rated. We would still recommend Cassia Cottage (incredible value, food and accommodation), but I wanted to emphasize the low cost of Vietnam.
Vietnam is…
Perfect for: SE Asia cuisine, nightlife, beach vacation, bee farm, gondola, warm weather, low cost
Not perfect for: Short travel time, craft beer, wine, high end dining (outside of Ho Chi Minh)
For more info on the details of our stay, visit our exact itinerary here.
Listen, I know SE Asia is a LONG way to travel for a “vacation” on a beach. But any and all of these countries are so much more than just value and beautiful weather. The kind people and delicious cuisine alone are more than enough to plan an adventure. With that being said, I hope this post helped clarify the cost of the two SE Asia countries we’ve visited. If you want to read more about why we chose Vietnam as a destination, check out this post I wrote a while back.
Cheers!
Kyle